Headed to the movies? Here's a look at some of the films currently showing

Tribune News Service

Monday

Jan 22, 2018 at 10:13 AMJan 22, 2018 at 10:13 AM

Trying to decide on a movie to go see? Here's a run-down of some of the films currently in theaters.

CALL ME BY YOUR NAME: 3 stars. Handsome production set in 1983 Italy, where a professor (Michael Stuhlbarg) is hosting a handsome student (Armie Hammer) who becomes involved with the professor’s son (Timothee Chalamet). Sensitively told, coming-of-age story that is well-acted by Chalamet and Hammer. Written by James Ivory, it recalls some of the quintessential Merchant Ivory movies of the 1990s, though it’s directed by Luca Guadagnino. 2 hrs. 11 R (sex) — Gary Thompson

COCO: 3 stars. In Mexico, a fatherless boy crosses into the colorful land of the dead to learn more about his family and pursue his forbidden dream of being a musician. The music is first-rate, even if the story sometimes sputters. Not in a class with Pixar’s best animation, but way better than Cars 3. Featuring the voice of Benjamin Bratt. 1 hr. 40 PG — Gary Thompson

DARKEST HOUR: 3 stars. Gary Oldman has great fun as Winston Churchill in “Darkest Hour,” and it’s great fun to watch him play Britain’s wartime prime minister, contending with political opposition while rallying his people and his king (Ben Mendelsohn) to the cause of opposing Germany in the face of the dire events at Dunkirk. Joe Wright’s showboating direction is a match for the heightened pitch of the performances, which include good work by Stephen Dillane, Kristen Scott Thomas and Lily James. 2 hrs. 5 PG-13 (language) — Gary Thompson

THE DISASTER ARTIST: 3 stars. Funny, factual account of the making of 2003’s "The Room," reputed to be the worst movie ever made. James Franco stars as Tommy Wiseau, the movie’s mysterious, incompetent but passionate director/star, who wrote, financed and distributed his own movie, now a fixture on the midnight screening circuit. Stick around through the end credits, when the scenes from the two movies are shown back to back. With Dave Franco, Ari Graynor and Seth Rogen. 1 hr. 44 R (language) — Gary Thompson

DOWNSIZING: 2.5 stars. At a time when most movies have a deficit of good ideas, Alexander Payne’s imaginative new sci-fi comedy has a surplus of them. Matt Damon and Kristen Wiig are a Midwestern couple who shrink down to six inches to inhabit a tiny community where their meager savings make them rich. Some clever scenes, and rich supporting roles for Christoph Waltz and Hong Chau, but the movies multiple commentaries on inequality, materialism, immigration and environmentalism make for a crowded narrative. 2 hrs. 15 PG-13 (language) — Gary Thompson

THE FLORIDA PROJECT: 3 stars. Engaging slice-of-life look at residents of an Orlando motel — the adults living paycheck-to-paycheck while their free-range kids have an improbably wonderful time on the ragged fringe of the Magic Kingdom. Written and directed by Sean Baker. With Willem Dafoe and Brooklyn Prince. 1 hr. 45 R (language) — Gary Thompson

I, TONYA: 3 stars. Margot Robbie produces and stars in this biography — told with elements of black comedy — of notorious figure skater Tonya Harding (Robbie), implicated in the conspiracy to injure competitive rival Nancy Kerrigan. The movie tells you things you probably didn’t know about the scandal, and manages to build empathy for Harding, who saw skating as a refuge form a life of poverty and abuse. Allison Janney and Sebastian Stan are Harding’s abusive mother and husband. Bobby Canavale plays a cynical tabloid TV reporter. 1 hr. 59 R (violence) — Gary Thompson

JUMANJI: WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE: 3 stars. A complete reboot of the 1995 original. The magical board game is now a magical video game, where archetypal teens (jock, nerd, popular girl) find themselves inhabiting in-game avatars that are the opposite of their real-world personalities. The hulking football player becomes pint-sized Kevin Hart, the nerd becomes Dwayne Johnson, the pretty girl becomes Jack Black, and the actors have more fun that you might expect playing teens stuck. Co-starring Karen Gillen and Nick Jonas. Directed by Jake Kasdan. 2 hrs. 2 PG-13 (language) — Gary Thompson

LADY BIRD: 4 stars. Funny, touching coming-of-age story about a Sacramento high-school senior (Saoirse Ronan) who quarrels with her mother (Laurie Metcalf) about her determination to leave California for a more sophisticated life at an Eastern college. Written and directed with great affection, wisdom and skill by Greta Gerwig. With Tracy Letts, Lucas Hedges and Beanie Feldstein. 1 hr. 33 R (language, sexuality) — Gary Thompson

THE POST. 3.5 stars. Steven Spielberg directs a cast that includes Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep in this true story of the Washington Post’s fight to publish the Pentagon Papers. 1 hr. 55 PG-13 (profanity, brief war violence) — Gary Thompson

THE SHAPE OF WATER: 3 stars. Adult fable from Guillermo del Toro, set in Cold-War era Baltimore. It tells the story of a lonely woman (Sally Hawkins) working on the cleaning staff in a government lab who falls in love with the amphibious creature (Doug Jones) brought there for study. Richard Jenkins and Olivia Spenser have charming roles as the woman’s friends and co-conspirator in a plot to save the creature. Michael Shannon — surprise — is the heavy. Full of strange ideas and twists, unified by first-rate visual presentation that somehow maintains the movie’s tone of enchantment. 2 hrs. 5 R (nudity) — Gary Thompson

STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI: 3 stars. Rian Johnson’s competent, crowd-pleasing addition to the franchise, expanding on J.J. Abrams’s reboot. Rey (Daisy Ridley) tries to recruit Luke (Mark Hamill) to join the beleaguered resistance led by his sister Leia (Carrie Fisher), threatened by Kylo Ren (Adam Driver). A blend of the old and the new — Finn (John Boyega) is off on a renegade mission of his own, introducing new characters like Rose (Kelly Marie Tran). 2 hrs. 35 PG-13 (violence) — Gary Thompson

THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING MISSOURI: 3.5 stars. From writer-director Martin McDonagh, a timely if scabrous story about a small-town woman (Frances McDormand) taunting the cops (Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell) who have failed to solve her daughter’s murder. Contains the brutal violence, savage humor and surprising moments of warmth that comprise McDonagh’s unique voice, and good performances as well — from McDormand and Rockwell in difficult and complex roles, playing difficult and complex people. With Peter Dinklage, Lucas Hedges and John Hawkes. 1 hr. 55 R (violence, language) — Gary Thompson

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